Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a chronic condition caused by the failure of the anti-reflux barrier located at the gastroesophageal junction to keep the contents of the stomach from splashing into the esophagus. The splashing is known as gastroesophageal reflux. The stomach acid is designed to digest meat, and will digest esophageal tissue when persistently splashed into the esophagus.
A principal reason for regurgitation associated with GERD is the mechanical failure of a deteriorated gastroesophageal flap to close and seal against high pressure in the stomach. Due to reasons including lifestyle, a Grade I normal gastroesophageal flap may deteriorate into a malfunctioning Grade III or absent valve Grade IV gastroesophageal flap. With a deteriorated gastroesophageal flap, the stomach contents are more likely to be regurgitated into the esophagus, the mouth, and even the lungs. The regurgitation is referred to as “heartburn” because the most common symptom is a burning discomfort in the chest under the breastbone. Burning discomfort in the chest and regurgitation (burping up) of sour-tasting gastric juice into the mouth are classic symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). When stomach acid is regurgitated into the esophagus, it is usually cleared quickly by esophageal contractions. Heartburn (backwashing of stomach acid and bile onto the esophagus) results when stomach acid is frequently regurgitated into the esophagus and the esophageal wall is inflamed.
Complications develop for some people who have GERD. Esophagitis (inflammation of the esophagus) with erosions and ulcerations (breaks in the lining of the esophagus) can occur from repeated and prolonged acid exposure. If these breaks are deep, bleeding or scarring of the esophagus with formation of a stricture (narrowing of the esophagus) can occur. If the esophagus narrows significantly, then food sticks in the esophagus and the symptom is known as dysphagia. GERD has been shown to be one of the most important risk factors for the development of esophageal adenocarcinoma. In a subset of people who have severe GERD, if acid exposure continues, the injured squamous lining is replaced by a precancerous lining (called Barrett's Esophagus) in which a cancerous esophageal adenocarcinoma can develop.
Other complications of GERD may not appear to be related to esophageal disease at all. Some people with GERD may develop recurrent pneumonia (lung infection), asthma (wheezing), or a chronic cough from acid backing up into the esophagus and all the way up through the upper esophageal sphincter into the lungs. In many instances, this occurs at night, while the person is in a supine position and sleeping. Occasionally, a person with severe GERD will be awakened from sleep with a choking sensation. Hoarseness can also occur due to acid reaching the vocal cords, causing a chronic inflammation or injury.
GERD never improves without intervention. Life style changes combined with both medical and surgical treatments exist for GERD. Medical therapies include antacids and proton pump inhibitors. However, the medical therapies only mask the reflux. Patients still get reflux and perhaps emphysema because of particles refluxed into the lungs. Barrett's esophagus results in about 10% of the GERD cases. The esophageal epithelium changes into tissue that tends to become cancerous from repeated acid washing despite the medication.
Several open laparotomy and laparoscopic surgical procedures are available for treating GERD. One surgical approach is the Nissen fundoplication. The Nissen approach typically involves a 360-degree wrap of the fundus around the gastroesophageal junction. The procedure has a high incidence of postoperative complications. The Nissen approach creates a 360-degree moveable flap without a fixed portion. Hence, Nissen does not restore the normal movable flap. The patient cannot burp because the fundus was used to make the repair, and may frequently experience dysphagia. Another surgical approach to treating GERD is the Belsey Mark IV (Belsey) fundoplication. The Belsey procedure involves creating a valve by suturing a portion of the stomach to an anterior surface of the esophagus. It reduces some of the postoperative complications encountered with the Nissen fundoplication, but still does not restore the normal movable flap. None of these procedures fully restores the normal anatomical anatomy or produces a normally functioning gastroesophageal junction. Another surgical approach is the Hill repair. In the Hill repair, the gastroesophageal junction is anchored to the posterior abdominal areas, and a 180-degree valve is created by a system of sutures. The Hill procedure restores the moveable flap, the cardiac notch and the Angle of His. However, all of these surgical procedures are very invasive, regardless of whether done as a laparoscopic or an open procedure.
New, less surgically invasive approaches to treating GERD involve transoral endoscopic procedures. One procedure contemplates a machine device with robotic arms that is inserted transorally into the stomach. While observing through an endoscope, an endoscopist guides the machine within the stomach to engage a portion of the fundus with a corkscrew-like device on one arm. The arm then pulls on the engaged portion to create a fold of tissue or radial plication at the gastroesophageal junction. Another arm of the machine pinches the excess tissue together and fastens the excess tissue with one pre-tied implant. This procedure does not restore normal anatomy. The fold created does not have anything in common with a valve. In fact, the direction of the radial fold prevents the fold or plication from acting as a flap of a valve.
Another transoral procedure contemplates making a fold of fundus tissue near the deteriorated gastroesophageal flap to recreate the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). The procedure requires placing multiple U-shaped tissue clips around the folded fundus to hold it in shape and in place.
This and the previously discussed procedure are both highly dependent on the skill, experience, aggressiveness, and courage of the endoscopist. In addition, these and other procedures may involve esophageal tissue in the repair. Esophageal tissue is fragile and weak, in part due to the fact, that the esophagus is not covered by serosa, a layer of very sturdy, yet very thin tissue, covering and stabilizing all intraabdominal organs, similar like a fascia covering and stabilizing muscle. Involvement of esophageal tissue in the repair of a gastroesophageal flap valve poses unnecessary risks to the patient, such as an increased risk of fistulas between the esophagus and the stomach.
A new and improved apparatus and method for restoration of a gastroesophageal flap valve is fully disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,790,214, issued Sep. 14, 2004, is assigned to the assignee of this invention, and is incorporated herein by reference. That apparatus and method provides a transoral endoscopic gastroesophageal flap valve restoration. A longitudinal member arranged for transoral placement into a stomach carries a tissue shaper that non-invasively grips and shapes stomach tissue. A tissue fixation device is then deployed to maintain the shaped stomach tissue in a shape approximating a gastroesophageal flap.
Whenever tissue is to be maintained in a shape as, for example, in the improved assembly last mentioned above, it is necessary to first grip stomach tissue and then fasten at least two layers of gripped tissue together. In applications such as gastroesophageal flap valve restoration, it is desirable to grip stomach tissue displaced from the esophageal opening into the stomach so that when the stomach tissue is pulled aborally to form a flap, the flap will have sufficient length to cover the opening and function as a flap valve. With the gastroesophageal anatomy thus restored, the GERD will be effectively treated.
Locating the proper gripping point in the stomach is not a simple matter. When the stomach is empty, it is normally in a collapsed state. Visualization within the stomach is extremely difficult. Once a desired gripping point is found, it is then necessary to form the GEFV flap and maintain its shape without involving the esophageal tissue. Still further, these manipulations of the stomach tissue must be repeated many times about the esophageal/stomach opening. Such further manipulation must repeat the dimensions of the manipulated stomach tissue to result in a valve structure of uniform geometry. This is, of course, extremely difficult under the circumstances provided by the anatomy of the stomach.
In maintaining the shape of the manipulated stomach tissue, fasteners may be employed. However, care must be taken against inadvertently fixing esophageal tissue to stomach tissue. As previously mentioned, this is fraught with potential complications.
Still further, the mere act of gripping stomach tissue may be problematic. For example, one way stomach tissue may be gripped is snare it with a helical coil. In doing so, the helical coil is screwed into the tissue. Unfortunately, the mere act of turning the coil can cause the stomach tissue to also rotate and “ball-up” about the helix. Such an event greatly complicates the therapeutic procedure.
Hence, there is a need in the art for techniques and devices which enable more ready manipulation of stomach tissue from within the stomach. The present invention addresses these and other issues.